[BigMac]

In season 1 I've noticed that MacGyver had many relationships with women. He could pretty much make women fall for him at will. Before you knew it, MacGyver was making out with a beautiful women. What a player!

Anyway, it seems that most of these quick relationships were written out of the series after season 1. After a few seasons he didn't seem to have any romance, only "friends."

In your opinion which is better? A MacGyver focused on environmental causes and his friends...or a MacGyver living out every man's dreams of effortlessly "wooing" every woman he comes in contact with?

Which do you prefer and why was this aspect of the show changed?

[MacGyverOnline]

Hey BigMac,

Welcome to our nightmare.. um.. world

Love the name

The reason they moved away from the wooing women is partly explained here.

You can also get better understand from this Joan Rivers interview with RDA.

I think it also has to do with the first season was very much based on a James Bond / Indiana Jones type theme.

This changed as both writers and producers got a feel for the character, from about the second season, and also RDA started inputing to character development as well. MacGyver retained the action adventure ideas, but moved away from the secret agent theme and very much became his own man.

Nikki Carpenter was probably intended as a love interest in the 3rd season, as was Maria Romburg. Both where axed due to outrage from the female viewing audience.

Personally I prefer the loner Mac of season 2 onwards. I think it allows more focus on the action adventure side of the show, and makes the show much more "family friendly"

[MacsChick]

It certainly makes him a more unique action hero. Leave the suave wooing to James Bond--Mac's a different kind of guy!

Personally, I don't care whether he has a romantic interest or not. I'm a female fan, but I consider myself pretty level-headed when it comes to MacGyver having a love life. He can have one if he wants to. I just like the idea of him feeling awkward and shy around women and not always so confident and cocky the way they tried to portray him in the first season. It seems more realistic.

[MacGyverGod]

I prefer the elder MacGyver, just because I grew up with later seasons. And what his women are concerned. I prefer it better the way it was later on. I mean everyone meets a special someone every now and then in life. And I think it makes the series more realistic than just meeting one woman after other.

[MACGYVERISMYDAD]

I pretty much liked it when he was not with anyone. I feel that most of the women just got in his way or got him into trouble.

[BigMac]

I can agree with you guys thinking it was a little bit overdone in season 1. And I can see why you wouldn't want him to be a James Bond clone. But I wish they would have mixed in a few more romantic story lines in the other seasons.

Sure, it's overkill to have one every episode, but I think it's somewhat realistic that Mac's girls would have feelings for him. He's a good-looking confident guy and has very unique talents. Add in to that the emotional vulnerability these women would feel while being on the verge of possible death, and I don't think that short-term romance is out of the question.

I particularly liked MacGyver's relationship with Barbara Spencer in the pilot episode. Unlike a few other female characters, I think she had a strong personality and was very useful in helping Mac accomplish the goal of the mission. She was a good partner from both a work and romance aspect.

In any case, I wish they would have worked a few more romantic storylines into the later episodes and had a few more characters similar to Spencer.

[MacGyverOnline]

well as I said before, you can thank the female fans who wrote in complaining about MacGyver's romances. The show received some pretty scathing letters.

I think a couple of others have touched on some things also.... most of the women all seemed to be "Damsels in distress", only there for him to save, and/or just seemed to drag him into trouble. So they probably wanted to move away from that kind of story line as well.

but all in all I think the loner "anti-hero" story lines worked quite well.

[MacGyverGod]

I think a romance could've worked out. Because he's romantically involved doesn't mean she have to be there every episode. Than still she could've died and MacGyver ending up alone.

[MACGYVERISMYDAD]

Also I think this concept is highly overused in tv movies and music. I mean it's sometimes hard to turn on a movie or tv show and not see some kind of love scene or something of that nature. I think in certain instances its ok. I mean with macgver yea he might be handsome and smart and what not but when he was alone or single it just seemed that he was better off that way. Plus he didn't like commitment. In knight rider he was more of a ladies man and was often involved in different relationships or flings which I don't think took anything away from the show but added some potential humor between michael and kitt. To sum it all up I am glad that mac didn't have anymore girlfriends then he did. I always thought it was better how they introduced a women as his old friend or girlfriend and left it that way.

[MacGyverOnline]

Yeah, introducing old girlfriends for just one or 2 episodes, implies the romance, without having to actually show it. Which means we kinda get the best of both worlds, we know MacGyver has had girlfriends and romance, but we don't have to endure it, instead we get to see the action/adventure, which is what most of us tuned in for.